OptionalFiction

Two months ago I died. I had been shot by a security guard when I had tried to steal $2.3 million out of a bank in southern Italy. But my unfinished business had left me a ghost. And I cannot rest until I heist those millions. I'd spent the past two months assembling the perfect team of ghosts for the second run. Ronny got us into the building. He had died when a mine collapsed and his unfinished business was to complete a tunnel. When he had dug a way into the bank's basement he vanished, his soul finally at peace. Next up was our hacker Nelly. She had lived in an old home and when she spotted a faulty wire she had gone into the basement with the intention to turn off the building's electricity. But on the stairs she had slipped and split her head. So when she had hacked and disabled all the electronics of the building her business had been finished as well. She vanished and we were down to two on the inside, plus the getaway driver. Now it was Glasses' turn. He had been killed in chemistry class. Fellow students had messed up an experiment and produced an uncontrolled explosion. He never got to complete his own controlled explosion—until now. When the dust had settled the part of the wall of the safe was gone, and so was Glasses. I filled my duffle bags with all the money and made my way back outside where Vincent was waiting. “Where's the car, Vincent?!” But Vincent started laughing maniacally. I heard the sirens of ghost police cars wailing in the distance. “Vincent, where's the car?” “I'm not a bus driver that died in a traffic accident. My unfinished business isn't to drive to a school. I'm actually an author. When my wife Delores tried to kill me we got into a struggle and we both fell out a third story window. I never got to introduce a twist to the heist story I was writing. But now I finally could complete this very specific unfinished business of mine! Suck it!” He raised his middle fingers in the air and poofed out of existence. Now I'm standing here. Completely alone, slowly being surrounded by ghost police. Is this the end? Why can't they let me complete my heist? I just want peace. “Hands up in the air. We got you surrounded.” As soon as these words have been uttered all but one of the police ghosts disappear. Only the chief remains. “I guess their unfinished business was just to catch and surround a criminal, but not me, pal.” He trains his revolver on me. I drop my duffle bags and raise my hands in surrender. “I'm sorry, pal. But my unfinished business is to wipe out a criminal. Say your pra—” Blam! A shot rings through the air. I shrink together in shock. I take a breath. I check myself. Nope, still alive. Or dead rather. But only once. Then the police chief collapses and a female ghost steps out of the shadows behind him, blowing the smoke off the barrel of her gun. “You're welcome. I'm Dolores, still needed to kill someone.” “Thanks,” I mutter, but she's gone already. When the corpse of the police chief disappears as well I am confused for a moment. Did that count as “wiping out a criminal?” Really? Post-posthumously being the cause for setting free the spirit of a criminal was enough for him? Well, I'll take it. I pick up my duffle bags of money and make my way down the street. As I feel my soul untether from the earth I smile to myself. The perfect heist. No loose ends.